Why is young people's mental health, health and well-being important?

Health Campaign Week is between the 6th and 10th March 2017! We are working with young people in Cornwall to raise the issues and concerns that they may have which relates to their personal health or the access that they have to health-related services. The week is focused on raising awareness of areas that could be improved but also celebrate the areas of success.

So why is young people's mental health and well-being important?

We've asked a range of young people that we work with from areas in Cornwall such as Newquay, Liskeard, Truro and Bodmin and this is what they came back with; 

'Young people's health is important because if we stay healthy there is a less likely chance that we will get a chronic illness when we are older.  Mental health is also important to young people as without the correct treatment then it could affect us for our whole life.' 13yr old Liskeard.

'Young people's physical health, well-being, and mental health are linked hand in hand with each other, if one isn't positive or supported correctly then the others are also likely to go down-hill.' 14yr old Newquay.

'Young people's mental health and well-being is important so that we have a successful and positive education, but also for our future employment chances and choices' 15yr old Truro.

'Mental health is important to keep on top off because without good mental health you will struggle with most aspects of life.' 18yr old Truro.

It is clear that young people in Cornwall feel that their mental health, physical health, and well-being is a very important aspect to their future prospects and can influence their quality of life. Being a young person in Cornwall can be isolating as many towns, villages, and communities are rural and lack services available for young people. A lot of the key services for young people that are available in Cornwall are in the main towns and Truro City. This means that young people have to find transport to access these services which can be hard due to the lack of and high expense of  public transport in Cornwall - especially if they  or their family members don't drive.  

Professionals with in the Child and Adolescent workforce also feel passionate about young people's health. They suggest;

'Young people's health and well-being is the biggest contributing factor to their development, aspirations and happiness. I believe there is clear inequality between mental health and physical health. Physical and mental health are extremely important and to improve social and health issues such as poor health, eating disorders, homelessness etc support and opportunities must be provided. Mental health care must be available nationally and consistently to improve young people's resilience throughout their life span and not just when they are presenting a severe and enduring 'illness'.' Youth worker at YPC.

 'Young people's health and well-being is very important to promote and ensure they develop into well rounded adults, with healthy lifestyles, resilience to cope, and maintain a good equality of life through adulthood.'

In Cornwall it is estimated that approximately 6,000 – 7,000 young people will have a diagnosable mental/emotional health disorder at any one time, and that between 7,000 and 17,000 young people under 25 self-harm, with higher than average suicide rates, particularly among young men (Cornwall & Isles of Scilly (IoS) CAMHS Strategy 2015-20; Cornwall & IoS CYP Self Harm Strategy 2015). Specialist CAMHS services receive approximately 4,000 referrals per year, at least 40% of these do not meet the thresholds for access to the service. A recent Cornwall Council select committee report (2014) stated that support for children and young people’s mental health is ‘under strain’ and many young people go ‘undetected’, or have to escalate to ‘crisis’ before they receive support.

In 2015 more than 800,000 anti-depressants were prescribed to young people, on one hand this could be a positive as it means that young people are being seen and treated, however are they also being supported and diagnosed properly?